War against hunger, global warming can be won on farmlands – UN report

UN NEWS CENTER, from a report released by FAO on Nov. 4.
"Agriculture has the potential to play a critical role in slashing global emissions, with around 70 percent of the possibility of alleviating the effect of climate change coming from developing countries", FAO said.

Obama hunger plan to help, but must seize momentum

by Roberta Rampton, Reuters.

"The Obama administration has the right approach for reducing world hunger but must move quickly on its plan to make food security a central part of its foreign policy by helping the world's poorest farmers.
The administration wants to spend $3.5 billion over the next three years on projects to help farmers get seed, fertilizer, training and access to markets, dovetailing with pledges of more than $22 billion from other countries".

Hunger, agriculture, climate change... the unprecedented attention to the issue from the highest levels of U.S. government.

Hunger breeds violence

"Peacemaking strategies must include denying extremists recruits from a hungry population by providing food to alleviate the suffering". By By Samuel R. Berger. October 16, 2009, Los Angeles Times.

"Children who grow up in the world's poorest countries know hunger as an everyday part of life. The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that every six seconds a child dies of hunger. Those who don't die face a childhood of worry and desperation -- a never-ending empty stomach. Many of them end up foraging in the streets or garbage heaps, where they are prime targets for recruitment by extremist groups or other criminal organizations. That is simply not acceptable when most live in a world of plenty".

Secretary Clinton's Statement on World Food Day, October 16, 2009

You can find more info on the Department of State’s Global Hunger and Food Security website at http://www.state.gov/s/globalfoodsecurity/.

Economic crisis is devastating for the world's hungry- 1.02 billion hungry people in 2009 - FAO hunger report published

An article from FAO Media Center, again, on the issue of the international crisis and its heavy consequences on developing countries. Have a look at the video- a very interesting analysis from David Dowe, presenting the new hunger report.

"The combination of food and economic crises has pushed the number of hungry people worldwide to historic levels — more than one billion people are undernourished, according to FAO estimates.Nearly all the world's undernourished live in developing countries. In Asia and the Pacific, an estimated 642 million people are suffering from chronic hunger; in Sub-Saharan Africa 265 million; in Latin America and the Caribbean 53 million; in the Near East and North Africa 42 million; and in developed countries 15 million, according FAO's annual hunger report, The State of Food Insecurity, produced this year in collaboration with WFP. The report was published before World Food Day, to be celebrated on 16 October 2009."

World Food Day, October 16

The purpose of World Food Day is to raise awareness and encourage action to alleviate hunger around the world. This year’s events are of utmost importance as the number of hungry people has increased to over 1 billion for the first time in history. A post from the blog of WFP, for those who want to get involved.